Tuesday, February 28, 2017

It’s not every day you find yourself walking next to someone
on the street, who’s eating from a ridiculously large tub of rice pudding.
Well, that’s exactly what happened to me the other day, and it served as a
reminder for what a great, and comforting dessert rice pudding really is.

For whatever reason, it’s usually not near the top when
people list their favorite desserts, but despite that, it’s a proven
crowd-pleaser, and quite easy to make, especially using this simplified,
one-pot method.

Most recipes have you make the pudding in a clean pot,
since, I’m assuming, they’re afraid the starch at the bottom of the pan used to
cook the rice will burn. And, it probably would, unless you deglaze the bottom
with cold milk before turning the heat back on. Not only will this simple step prevent the pudding from
scorching, but also I think we get a little bit of extra toasted rice flavor. I
also prefer an egg yolk to a whole egg, but regardless, be sure to whisk it in
fast and furious, or they might scramble.

If you’re scared, you can temper the egg by mixing in a few
spoons of the hot rice mixture, before blending in, but as I’ve said before, there’s
nothing wrong with a little adrenalin-inducing danger in the kitchen. So, no
matter what you garnish it with, or whether you eat it inside, or crossing
Dolores Street, I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Saturday, February 25, 2017

I’m not sure these are actually prawns, and I’ve never been
to Provence, but this great appetizer was called Prawn Provencale when I
learned it working for a caterer, back in the 80’s. It was a crazy time, or so I’m
told, and this delicious garlic and herb shrimp pop is one of the more vivid
memories I have.

It does take some time to butterfly the prawns, but as I
mentioned in the video, everything can be done ahead of time, including the
crumbing. Just pan them up, and bake them off, once your guests arrive.
Preferably in waves, so they can be enjoyed warm.

In case you’re wondering, while biologically different,
culinarily speaking, shrimp and prawns are the same thing. I used to know the
difference a long time ago, like in the 80’s, but my brain must’ve erased it for
more storage space.

One major tip here is to be sure and season your breadcrumb
mixture very well. You can season the shrimp also, but I don’t, and instead make
sure the mixture has plenty of everything. Once they’re baked, you can serve
with any number of dips, or just some fresh lemon. So, whether you’re making
these for a party or not, I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

I’m not sure if you’ve had picadillo before, but I’m
very sure you’ve almost had it before. This Cuban creation is one of the
world’s great ground meat dishes, and fairly similar to sloppy Joes, as well as
bean-less chili, or as a chili connoisseur would call it, “chili."

I went with beef here, but pork can be added, as well as
chorizo. Often fillers like diced potato and squash are added, but since I
serve this over rice, I typically don’t include those. I used to be more into
hot, starch-on-starch action when I was younger, but these days, not so much.

As I mentioned in the video, many consider the olives
optional, but for me, they’re one of the keys to the dish. Those briny bites
reset your palate as you eat, which makes every bite seem like the first. Having
said that, not everyone does olives, but I still really hope you give it a try
soon – with capers. Enjoy!

Friday, February 17, 2017

Or, just plain sick. Yes, I’m a little under the weather,
but as they say, the show must go on, and that “show” ended up being me just
throwing all my chicken noodle soup ingredients into a pot, crossing my
fingers, and hoping for the best.

And while I know this method didn’t produce “the best”
chicken noodle soup, I was amazed at how really good it was, and how remarkably
close it was to a certain canned variety. I can’t give brand names, but it
rhymes with Frogresso.

If you do decide to use this one-step approach, there are a
few things you need to pay attention to. You’ll want to use a pasta or
noodle that’s at least a large as the fusilli I used so it doesn’t completely
break down; as well as, to be sure to dice/slice your veggies nice and thin, so they get tender relatively quickly.

I just used a knife, but I bet you have one of those
vegetable slicers somewhere, and this would be the perfect operation to use it for. Above and beyond that, feel free to add in other “medicinal”
ingredients, such as garlic, ginger, and hot chilies. But whether you embellish or
not, or you’re sick, or feeling just fine, I really do hope you give this a try
soon. Enjoy!

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

My Norwegian pronunciations aren’t any better than my
French ones, but as challenging as saying, “Sandefjordsmør,” may be, this
amazingly simple butter sauce is not very challenging to make.

People get nervous
about butter sauce, since many types can easily “break,” which means the butter
separates, but because of the cream, this is extremely stable, and very
user-friendly. As long you don’t dump all the cold butter cubes in at once, and
just toss them in a few at a time, your sauce will not break.

Along the same
lines, if you make the sauce early, be sure to keep it in a warm spot, since if
it gets cold and solidifies, and then you try and reheat it, the butter will most
likely separate. Above and beyond being easy, and relatively sturdy, this Sandefjordsmør
is also quite versatile.

Not only is it wonderful on all types of fish, but
also works beautifully with shrimp and lobster. Speaking of versatility, the
same goes for changing up the herbs. So, no matter how you flavor it, or what
you spoon it over, I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Saturday, February 11, 2017

With everybody’s favorite made-up holiday right around the
corner, I thought I would finally post a chocolate soufflé. I’m not sure what
took so long, other than the fact that soufflés have never been my favorite
delivery system for chocolate.

Sure, they’re visually impressive, which is key for a
special occasion dessert, but the chocolate does get a bit diluted by all those
air bubbles. Also, I’ve always been much more of a cold, or room-temp chocolate
dessert guy, and never gone nuts for things like lava cakes, and baked
puddings.

Having said that, I’m sure I’m in the minority, and you and
your special someone will enjoy these just fine. I developed this recipe for
two, since that makes a lot of sense, but it should scale up without issue. If
you want to add some type of liquor to this, you can add it to the milk and
flour mixture after you turn off the heat.

Rum works beautiful, as does coffee, orange, or raspberry
liqueur.Above and beyond that, if you
really want to impress your date, you could also whip up a sauce to serve along
side. I’m thinking either a berry puree, or maybe a coffee crème anglaise would
pair perfectly. Either way, sauced or not, I really hope you give this a try
soon, and it gets you lots of compliments. Enjoy!

Chocolate soufflé for two 5-oz ramekins):melted butter and sugar to prep ramekins

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon flour

1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon cold milk

pinch salt

pinch cayenne

2 ounces dark chocolate (I like something around 70%)

1 large egg yolk

2 large egg whites

pinch cream of tartar (you can use a few drops of lemon
juice or vinegar instead)

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

In case I wasn’t completely clear the multiple times I
mentioned it in the video – this is just my take, my twist, my
interpretation of a Brazilian fish stew. Or, as people who will ignore the
previous sentence call it, “moqueca.”

The most glaring omission from the classic ingredient list
would be red palm oil, which apparently gives this dish it signature flavor.
Since I don’t think I ever had it, it’s hard for me to say, but what I can tell
you, is that this was incredibly delicious even without the mysterious oil.

Like most of the world’s great fish stews, this is usually
made with several types of seafood, but this is what I’m calling the weeknight
version. Using a whitefish, along with scallops, shrimp, clams, etc., is
lovely, but then you do have to worry about timing, so that everything finishes
at the same time.

By using one fish, this really is quite a simple recipe, and
the little bit of slicing and mincing involved is well worth the gorgeous, and
very tasty results. I really do hope you give this gorgeous Brazilian fish stew
a try soon. Enjoy!

Friday, February 3, 2017

Contrary to popular belief, refried beans are not called
refried beans because they’re refried.As it turns out the name actually translates to well fried, as in so
well fried, beans are reduced to a molten mash.And what a delicious mash it is.

I don’t think I would ever sit down to eat just a bowl of
refried beans, but they make everything they’re served with, on, or in,
infinitely better.Just as long as you
use lard.In my opinion, using rendered
pork fat for these produces the ultimate refried beans.

Many folks insist on using bacon, and it’s always hard to
argue against using bacon, but for me that smoky flavor, as delicious as it is,
just overwhelms the rest of the ingredients.Besides that enthusiastic recommendation, be sure to taste for seasoning
at the end.

Since we don’t cook the beans with salt, it’s going to take
some fairly generous seasoning later. In fact, any reviews less than five-stars
will be the result of people under salting, and then unfairly blaming me. So, whether
these are going on your Super Bowl nachos, or just in your regular recipe
rotation, I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Wednesday, February 1, 2017

I’ve always wanted to show my method for making chicken
nuggets.Not because I’m proud of how well they came out, which I am, but
more so to plead my case for what I think qualifies as an actual chicken
“nugget.”

Somehow people got the idea that a chicken nugget was
supposed to be a solid piece of chicken. That’s not a nugget. That’s just a too
small piece of fried chicken. A real nugget, at least in the fast food context,
is more of a deep-fried, mostly-chicken sausage patty, fabricated from various
parts of the bird, such as, every legal part.

I love any and all types of fried chicken, but the typical nugget,
when made from a piece of breast, just makes me want to get a bucket of the full-sized
stuff. No, as far as party food goes, I’ll take the classic, seems-bad-for-you version
every time. Plus, since we’re making a paste out of the meat, we get to flavor
it any way we want.

I loved the Buffalo approach, and it allowed me to dip
something in blue cheese dressing, which is always nice, but there are lots of
directions you can go with this. So, whether you make these as directed, or
come up with your own game plan, I really hope you give these delicious chicken
nuggets a try soon. Enjoy!